Why employers should consider flexible workplace environments

Why employers should consider flexible workplace environments Why employers should consider flexible workplace environments Losing employees (especially good employees) is bad for business. While turnover is inevitable, there are things that can be done to minimize the exodus. A knee-jerk reaction may be to offer raises or promotions to your top talent, but I recommend you listen to what each employee values most. Employees are placing extremely high value on other perks, especially those that increase work/life balance. Value in flexibility According to a study from Regus, the worlds largest workspace provider, 79 percent of business people would choose one job over a similar one if it offered flexibility, and this doesnt just mean hours. Professionals are looking to improve work/life balance by having the freedom to use alternate work sites that can help alleviate long commutes. The formula for business success lies with creating a strategy that makes employers comfortable with a remote team and gives employees a professional setting where they have the resources to do their best work. At every level, todays workers are stressed, said Sande Golgart, senior vice president of corporate accounts at Regus. Anything that can be done to relieve that stress and improve work/life balance is far more appealing than financial compensation. He added that flexible work is a key driver to managing responsibilities at home and at work. The freedom to work remotely or outside of traditional hours gives individuals more control over their time. The study found flexible options arent just good for the employees, they benefit the business as well. Nearly 80 percent of business people polled agreed that flexible work increases staff retention, helps attract top talent and eases work-related stress. Seeing the benefits The good news is that advancements in mobile technology, including webinar solutions, shared calendars and information sharing sites foster remote working. The common fears by employers that they couldnt measure a remote employees performance are now addressed by the use of basic technology tools. And shared space providers have systems in place to help users maximize their use of the space to achieve the best possible results. Companies of all sizes need to embrace flexible work and share in the benefits, from Fortune 500 businesses to new start-up companies. These collaborative workspaces have proven to yield cost savings, provide a boost in employee satisfaction and result in better productivity for companies. Small companies, like New York City-based Dark Arts Consulting, rely on flexible options as well. Dark Arts does not have offices for all their employees. Instead, they provide access to Regus flexible workspaces where employees can drop in and stay productive between appointments. The CEO of Dark Arts, Lee Solt, credits his remote work policy for retaining and attracting great IT consultants in a very competitive field, as well as helping him to grow his business. My employees are always on the move, meeting with clients, he said. There is no reason to pay for an expensive office no one will use. More importantly, why make my employees waste time commuting when they can be productive from anywhere? If your organization isnt implementing a flexible arrangement, now is the time to start considering the strategy. Assign a committee or leader in your organization to develop a plan and communicate broadly with your employees that this is more than just on your radar.

Stephanie Brodt and the Virtual Assistant Life [Podcast] - Career Pivot

Stephanie Brodt and the Virtual Assistant Life [Podcast] - Career Pivot Scene #137 â€" Marc Miller interviews Stephanie Brodt on turning into a remote helper. Portrayal: Stephanie Brodt, proprietor of Stephanie Brodt Virtual Executive Services left the corporate world following 20 or more years filling in as an official associate to function as a menial helper on the web. Presently, as a creator and mentor, she shows others how to leave the workplace and utilize their own one of a kind explicit aptitudes while working from their home or even while they travel. Stephanie's online course, named, Your 9 to 5 Exit Plan is open for enlistment now through the finish of July. For the individuals who wish to get familiar with how to function with this sort of opportunity and adaptability, you can go to her site at Stephaniebrodt.com. Stephanie is Marc's remote helper and she's starting another course that week this scene show. Marc has no monetary relationship with this course. He simply needs to help Stephanie be fruitful with this new undertaking; as she has been an incredible menial helper to Marc for right around three years. Key Takeaways: [1:29] Marc invites you to Episode 137 of the Repurpose Your Career digital recording. Vocation Pivot is the supporter of this digital broadcast; CareerPivot.com is one of the not many sites committed to those of us in the second 50% of life and our professions. Look at the blog and different assets conveyed to you, for nothing out of pocket. [1:59] If you are appreciating this web recording, if it's not too much trouble share it with other similar spirits. Buy in on CareerPivot.com, iTunes, or any of the different applications that flexibly web recordings. Offer it via web-based networking media or simply tell your neighbors and partners. The more individuals Marc comes to, the more individuals he can help. [2:17] Marc has discharged five sections of the following release of Repurpose Your Career to the Repurpose Your Career survey group. Join to be a piece of the survey group at CareerPivot.com/RYCTeam. [2:34] You will get new sections as they become accessible. Marc is searching for genuine criticism and couldn't want anything more than to get a legit survey on Amazon.com after the book is discharged. [2:46] Marc intends to discharge the book in late September and do both a virtual and a genuine book visit. He will be in Austin, the NYC Area, and D.C. in late September and in October. Marc couldn't imagine anything better than to meet his perusers and audience members. [3:02] Reach out to Marc at Podcasts@CareerPivot.com. [3:07] Next week, Marc will talk with Mark Silverman of Amava.com. [3:12] Amavaâ„¢'s statement of purpose is, We need you to carry on with a long, satisfying life. We center around social commitment on the grounds that, as per research, it very well may be more critical to wellbeing than qualities, nourishment or wellness schedules. It's out and out alarming that it is so risky to get separated. [3:32] Marc had moved toward playing Mark's meeting this week yet altered his perspective. This week, Marc is talking with Stephanie Brodt. Marc shares her memoir. Tune in to the latest scene [4:43] Marc invites Stephanie to the Repurpose Your Career web recording. Stephanie is Marc's menial helper (VA) and she is propelling another seminar on the most proficient method to turn into a VA. Many Baby Boomers have never viewed as turning into a VA. [5:16] Stephanie has just conversed with Marc's online enrollment network, so Marc needed to bring her onto the webcast, as well, to clarify what a VA does. Stephanie isn't a Boomer however is close to the upper finish of Generation X. [5:59] Stephanie began of school as a secretary for the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. [6:010] Her four year college education is ready to go the executives, yet she generally worked in the workplace as an official right hand, clerical specialist, venture director, and senior supervisor, all essentially in positions where she helped others to be fruitful. Stephanie preferred being off camera, dealing with the subtleties of activities. [6:36] Stephanie adores that work and has done it for 20 or more years for various associations, essentially at foundations of advanced education. [6:51] Today, Stephanie works for all intents and purposes, from her home office or while going with her significant other. She fills in as a VA, which has gradually gone into instructing others how to take their office abilities and use them for all intents and purposes rather than at a physical area. She began by instructing her companions who were keen on working practically. [7:31] Stephanie still keeps a couple of customers close by that she works for as a VA, blended in with the instructing. Presently on to the digital broadcast… Download Link | iTunes|Stitcher Radio|Google Podcast| Podbean | TuneIn | Overcast [7:44] A menial helper aids whatever that business is doing, similarly as in an office â€" help your supervisor oversee schedules, convey bulletins, help them with correspondence and clients. You may assist them with information, accounting, or bookkeeping. Whatever you can do to help them, you can do practically, on the web. [8:22] Small entrepreneurs and medium-sized entrepreneurs may require help and not make some full-memories representative to support them. A menial helper could do site the board or blog altering. They could alter books. It could be whatever an organization needs. [9:04] Stephanie alters Marc's web journals, sends messages, assembles Marc's digital recording, and once in a while converses with Marc's customers. Marc put a solicitation on LinkedIn that he was searching for a VA and Stephanie reacted to it. At the point when they initially associated, Stephanie was living in Indiana. Presently, she lives in Florida, where she and her significant other moved to semi-resign. [10:01] Marc and Stephanie have never met face to face. That is the manner by which things are with the vast majority of her customers. Stephanie has had customers in Spain, the UK, Australia, and one in Colorado, U.S. Stephanie and Marc do video meetings on the web. [10:44] It was a moderate procedure for Stephanie to go from the working environment to the virtual working environment. The more she carried out her responsibility, the better she knew it. The more established she got, the more opportunity she needed to have. She needed to plan her own downtime. [11:22] When Stephanie was brought into her last corporate activity, the organization had no authoritative staff and she was approached to make one. Stephanie welcomed on three aides and showed them how to run an authoritative group. As they turned out to be better, Stephanie was in the end informed that the group could work without her and she was given up. [11:58] Stephanie was miserable that the position was gone, however in the rear of her psyche, she would not like to come back to an office where she needed to ask for her downtime. She didn't appreciate the drive or the timeclock. In this way, she began searching for ways not to return to an office. They had given her a severance sum, so she had a little pad. [12:57] Stephanie and her better half concurred that she could go through the pad, and on the off chance that she hadn't made sense of what to do from that point forward, she would return to an office. They cut back any place they could and Stephanie began making sense of it. [13:17] Stephanie's activity was to go through 40 hours seven days making sense of what she could do. What she made sense of was that she could do what she had consistently carried out: the responsibilities she had consistently done in an office. She could rapidly change over that to working on the web for customers all around the globe and work when she needed. [13:58] She could work at home or while they went in the vehicle. She could attach her telephone as a hotspot and work in the vehicle as they drove from Indiana to Florida. Her customers never saw it. She didn't need to approach anybody for anything. She could get it done. [14:21] The more Stephanie discovered, the more she began doing it, the more enthusiastic she became. Individuals her age that have consistently known work in a physical area had no clue this work was accessible and that it is so natural to step into it. [14:44] Stephanie turned out to be inflexible about telling individuals around her when they would get some information about it, that they could utilize their PC at home a similar way they use it in an office, with only a couple of stunts and interfacing programs included. [15:07] When she saw individuals being choked when and place limitations of work, she was enthusiastic about helping them do very similar things she was doing. Other than instructing individuals how to be VAs, she keeps a couple of customers that she truly appreciates working for herself, Marc being one of them. [15:49] Stephanie in the long run picked a particular specialty for her VA work. From the start, Stephanie worked for organizations that were in zones she had just worked in. She prescribes remaining in a natural area to begin. Once, she got a customer who was a creator and a holistic mentor. [16:27] This customer was creating things for her customers that resounded with Stephanie. Stephanie was so intrigued, she would have helped this customer for nothing. That drove her to see that she appreciates that kind of work more. Taking a shot at her terms permitted her to find and pick what she enjoyed best. [17:10] Stephanie began to look toward individuals who were creators, speakers, and holistic mentors, to examine their attitude and perspective on. She began searching just for that kind of work. She may take on others that moved toward her or recruit partners to accomplish the work for those customers. This began suddenly, from all the referrals she got. [18:06] To abstain from baffling the individuals who had sent her the referrals, Stephanie welcomed on partners she oversaw and guaranteed the nature of their work. Stephanie holds for herself the work for mentors, speakers, and creators. [18:33] Marc portrays VA work to his customers like this: You work 80% of the time, you make 75% of what you used to make, and you get the chance to fire customers you don't care for. [19:08] Stephanie needs to truly live each day, not only ends of the week, excursions, or occasions. She goes to lunch with companions, and accomplishes the work in a morning, evening or the following day. She likewise just picks customers she appreciates working with, who click with her. [20:04] You set up your business such that you do get the opportunity to pick. Try not to set up your business such that cash is so close you need to take each customer, regardless of whether you wor

For New Networkers How to Establish Solid Connections - Hallie Crawford

For New Networkers How to Establish Solid Connections Hallie's most recent US News article talks about three significant ways you can build up strong systems administration associations. While the article is basically for those new to systems administration, the standards talked about can help we all as we proceed to construct and extend our systems. Systems administration is tied in with building up associations and making new connections, as we as a whole know. Also, doing so is basic to proficient achievement, regardless of whether its in a pursuit of employment or professional success or accessing new markets and customers. Be that as it may, an excessive number of experts, particularly more youthful experts or those new to systems administration, advance the ball too rapidly, requesting a lot of too early, and anticipating that others should make presentations when the other individual doesnt yet realize them all around ok or comprehend their requirements obviously. Frequently, fruitless systems administration happens when neither one of the parties takes sufficient opportunity, to become acquainted with one another, yet to see every others business, administrations or needs and how they can help one another. Or on the other hand regardless of whether the association is a fit by any stretch of the imagination. (Its OK to concede that it isnt!) To wrap up the article, click here.

The Perils of Traditional Interview Questions and Ways to Deal with them

The Perils of Traditional Interview Questions and Ways to Deal with them The Perils of Traditional Interview Questions and Ways to Deal with them Career The Perils of Traditional Interview Questions and Ways to Deal with them As jobseekers, we have always been at the giving end. It is always us to be answering some of the terrible traditional HR questions. Yes, some modern hiring managers may ask the interviewee, “So, do you have any questions for me?” And that sounds as if, it is better if you don’t. Sometimes, an interviewee too is either not confident or is reluctant to ask anything. In such cases, these hiring managers are just lucky. Okay, before I proceed further, this article that I am writing is not meant for those who badly need just any job. This is for the ones with long term career building intention. An Interview to Remember Today, I’ll share my experience of an interview with a Fortune 500 firm. Since it is the experience that matters, let’s not name the organization. I hope you’ll benefit from my experience in terms of not letting the interviewer be too intimidating. It is the eighth round of interview. I am already employed but the lure of working with a Fortune 500 overpowers anything. The scope of learning from industry leaders can never be compensated even with a permanent, high designation, well-paying job with a smaller company. Job Hopping The interviewer is an interesting woman. On meeting her, I greet her with big smile and take the seat. She appears very happy and charming, as if ready for the kill. The interview begins and she asks, “Tell me why have you been job hopping? This seems to be your sixth or seventh company. It only reflects how unsettled you are!” I answer, “Well, they say never to miss an opportunity, so I kept the doors open and opportunities kept coming. In fact, they didn’t just visit for a while, they stayed as long as I wanted them, till the next opportunity came my way.” Being Closed to Learning My answer causes her discomfort. She wears her coat of defense and asks her next question, “I see you are very closed to learning. How do you intend to grow?” “Well, I guess the fact that I am able to talk to you and respond to your thoughtful questions is because of my readiness which is not possible if I am closed to learning.” Being Defensive “You are headstrong, aren’t you? What makes you so defensive?” the senior vice president asks. In my heart, she is already a waste of the company’s branding image. I answer, “What happens if tomorrow our competitor (imagining I am already employed) questions our branding eminence? Would you attack them or build a strong internal and external defense to alleviate the impact of such assault? Or, for example, if you have a wound, won’t you expect our body to build a defense against the antibodies or would you let it fester? I guess, It’s great to have the knowledge of defense, it’ll be instrumental in company’s reputation management.” Greatest Weakness Now, she seems to be pretty irritated and cannot stand my head long answers. Linda, two more questions for you, “What’s your greatest weakness? and What do you know about our company?” “Weakness? Well, we, as in neither you nor I are free from weaknesses. I go weak in the knees at Eagle Boy’s chocolate pizza and Hyderabadi Dum Biriyani.” She corrects me, “No, I mean WEAKNESS!” “Sorry, but I think this is asking too much. Why would you want to know about my weaknesses unless you have some dubious plans?” I wonder, why is she putting up with so much of me? “So you think not knowing about the company can be your weakness?” “No. I have done as much homework needed for me to understand where I am headed. Everything’s there on the internet along with some videos that talk about the organization’s culture and inclusivity. But if you expect me to talk about your everyday operations, I am sure you have induction programmes and new hire meetings likely to inform u s about everything.” “Okay, Linda. Its just because of the management, I ” I smile and take a leave. The Offer Next week, I am given the offer letter. My work station just opposite to her sad face. I look her up on LinkedIn, and find that she has spent maximum a year with each company. As a B-School fellow, she directly landed with a senior role and heavy compensation. But Interestingly, soon after a month of my joining, she leaves the company to join the competitor with a package that’ll help her upgrade her Audi to the latest one in the market. Story Short Don’t let your prospective employer or hiring manager dictate you. If there are plenty of people to hire, the job market today wouldn’t be facing crises. So, you are important! No need to talk about your weaknesses or anything that’s very personal to you unless you know what you are doing. To “What do you know about our company?” question, take this, “Yes, that’s something I wanted to learn more about apart from what’s on the internet and your competitors are talking about. Please tell me. Also if you may define my roles and responsibilities and how I can give better.” Wear a confidence that doesn’t show the number of washes you have put it through. It is certainly not the end of the tunnel. And never, never lose your cool. Be polite, be thoughtful, say what you have to and let it go. It’ll come back if you if it is wise enough to not miss you! Bio: Linda Ashok is a corporate professional with 10 years of work experience with Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 companies namely IBM, ADP, Bank of America and Deloitte US-India. Currently she heads communications at CEIPAL LLC. For more: lindaashok.com